Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	father_n	manner_n	son_n	5,970	5	5.8560	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09386	A C[hristian] and [plain]e treatise of the manner and order of predestination and of the largenes of Gods grace. First written in Latine by that reuerend and faithfull seruant of God, Master William Perkins, late preacher of the word in Cambridge. And carefully translated into English by Francis Cacot, and Thomas Tuke.; De prædestinationis modo et ordine. English	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.; Cacot, Francis.; Tuke, Thomas, d. 1657.	1606 (1606)	STC 19683; ESTC S103581	116,285	285

him to deny or not to conferre confirming grace The proper cause of the fall was the diuell attempting our ouerthrow and Adams will which when it began to bee prooued by tentations did not desire Gods assistance but voluntarilie bent it selfe to fall away Predestination hath two parts the decree of election and the decree of reprobation So Isidore saith There is a double predestination either of the elect vnto rest or of the reprobate vnto death and both are De summo bo lib. 2. cap. 6. done by God that he might make the elect alwaies to follow after heauenly and spirituall things and that he might suffer the reprobate by for saking them to bee delighted alwaies with earthly and outward things And Angelome saith Christ by his secret dispensation Jn lib. 1. Reg. cap. 8. hath out of an vnfaithfull people predestinated some to cuerlasting liberty quickning them of his free mercie and damned others in euerlasting death in leauing them by his hidden iudgement in their wickednes The decree of election is that whereby God hath ordained certaine men to his Eph. 1. 5. glorious grace in the obtaining of their saluation and heauenly life by Christ. In the decree of election according These acts are vsually called the decree and the execution of the decree to Gods determination there is as wee conceiue a double act The former concernes the end the latter concernes the meanes tending to the end This the holy Ghost seemeth to me to haue taught very euidentlie Rom. 9. 11. That the purpose which is according to election might remain Heere wee see that Paul distinguisheth Gods eternall purpose and election and placeth in his decree a certaine election in the first place before the purpose of damning or sauing And in Rom. the 8. 29. 30. Those which he knew before he also predestinated to bee made like to the image of his son Whom he predestinated them also he called In which wordes Paul distinguisheth betwene the decree and the execution thereof which he maketh to bee in these three Vocation Iustification and Glorification Moreouer he distinguisheth the decree into two acts foreknowledge whereby hee doth acknowledge some men for his owne before the rest and predestination whereby he hath determined from eternitie to make them like vnto Christ. In like manner Peter teacheth 1. Pet. 1. 2 where hee saith that the faithful are elected according to the foreknowledg of God the father vnto sanctification of the spirit If any man shall say that by foreknowledge in these places wee must vnderstand as many would the foreknowledge or foreseeing of future faith he is manifestly deceiued For whom God foreknew them hee did predestinate that they should bee like to Christ that is that they should bee made iust and the sonnes of God for Paul addeth Rom. 8. 29. That he might be the first borne among many brethren But those which are predestinated to be iust and to be the sonnes of God are also predestinated to beleeue because Adoption and Righteousnes are receiued by faith Now we cannot rightly say that God doth first foreknow that men will beleeue and afterwards predestinate thē to beleeue because that God hath therfore foreknowne that those shall beleeue whom hee did foreknow would beleeue because hee did decree that they should beleeue So Iustin Martyr calleth Cont. ●riph those elect who were foreknowne that they should beleeue And Lumbard Whom hee Comment in cap. 8. ad Rom Cognosc● scio hath foreknowne them he hath predestinated that is by grace conferred hee hath prepared that they should beleeue the word preached Moreouer the word know when it is giuen vnto God speaking of the creature doth very often signifie to imbrace or approue Psal. 1. 6. The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous but the way of the wicked shall perish Matth. 7. 23. Depart from me yee workers of iniquitie I neuer knew you Furthermore the prescience purpose of God are by the holy Ghost put for one and the same thing 2. Tim. 2. 19. The foundation of God remaineth sure the Lord knoweth who are his Rom. 11. 2. Those whom God foreknew are said to be elected according to the election of grace vers 5. And therefore the foreknowledge mentioned by Paul doth not signifie the foreknowledge of faith or of any other vertue in those which were to bee elected It is also the iudgement of Augustine that predestination De perseu sanct lib. cap. 18. Rom. 11. 1. 2 is sometimes vnderstood by prescience euen in the foresaid place Hath God cast away his people which hee knew before And he saith that Those are sonnes in Gods foreknowledge whose names are written in their fathers register so as they shall neuer be raised out Cyrill saith also that Christ knoweth his sheepe electing and foreseeing them Expos. in Ioh. 7. cap. 6 vnto euerlasting life As the Apostle saith Rom. 11. 12. God hath not cast away his people which hee knew before For as the Lord is said not to know those whom he doth reiect as when he answered the foolish virgins saying Matth. 25. 12. Verilie I say vnto you I know you not so hee is said to know those whom he doth predestinate and fore-appoint vnto saluation And Thomas expoundeth that place in the 8. to the Romanes after Idem Hugo de sanct ●ict in annot in Rom. et Ioachim in Reuel par 1. this sort Whom he foreknew in his knowledge of approbation these he hath also predestinated And he will also haue an effectuall will of conferring grace to bee included in the knowledge of approbation In the decree of election the first act is a purpose or rather a part and beginning 1. Pet. 2. 9. People which God challengeth vnto himselfe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the diuine purpose whereby God doth take certaine men which are to be created vnto his euerlasting loue and fauour passing by the rest and by taking maketh them vessels of mercie and honour and this act is of the sole will of God without any respect either of good or euill in the creature And God doth wrong none although hee chuse not all because hee is tied to none because he hath absolute soueraigntie and authoritie ouer all creatures We that are but men giue leaue vnto men especially vnto our friends to do at their pleasure in many things as they themselues list and to vse their owne discretions The rich man is kinde to which poore person hee pleaseth and of beggers he doth adopt one and will not adopt another and that without offring any iniurie Now that libertie which wee yeeld vnto man must much more bee granted vnto God The second act is the purpose of sauing or conferring glorie whereby hee doth ordaine or set apart the very same men which were to fall in Adam vnto saluation and celestiall glorie This act is in no wise to be seuered from the former but to be distinguished in the minde

away his children by death that they should not see those euils which he h 〈◊〉 purposed to plague his enemies withall Mercifull men are taken away sayth Is● 57. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and no man vnderstand●th that the righteous is taken away from the euill to some So the Lord tooke away good Iosiah 〈◊〉 Chr●n 84. 28. that his eyes might not see all the euill which hee purposed to bring vpon that place Yea such is his loue vnto his Saints that he cannot doe that to the wicked which he would so long as they liue amongst them As the Angell told Lot that he could do nothing till he was gone out of Sodome euen so it may be ●en 19. ●2 truly sayd that Gods loue is so feruent towards his chosen as that it sometimes keepeth him from scattering his iudgements in those places wherein they liue Therefore he doth often remoue them by death that he may more freely poure out the vials of his wrath vpon the vngodly Fourthly by death God learneth vs to seeke a place of rest and to alie●ate our affections from the world which being like vnto bird-lime would otherwise more easily belime our affections that they could not soare vp to the heauens the place of our home Fiftly by death the Lord humbleth vs and teach●th vs not to pra●ke and plume vp our bodies lyke Peacocks as if wee meant to liue euer Sixtly the Lord by their deaths occasioneth their exper●●c● and feeling of the vertue of Christs resurrection Lastly as death is the complement of mortification and endeth the battell betweene the flesh and the spirit so it fully finisheth all earthly calamities and as a ●erry 〈◊〉 it transporteth vs ouer the tempestuous and broad Ocean of tribulations and afflictions into the calme and quiet hauen of endlesse happinesse But as for the Reprobate it is to them as a boat to cary them out of a riuer of earthly miseries into a restlesse bottomlesse sea of infinite ineffable torments And because their felicity if any consisteth in the finite fruition of worldly prosperity God in his appointed time by death as by 〈◊〉 knife cutteth asunder the threed of life and so casteth them out of their paradise and sendeth their soules to the place of the damned where they shall continue terribly tormented till that dolefull and dismall day of vengeance God hath ordeined the writing of his ●ri●●l 10 word the preaching of it the administration of the Sacraments and his dispensers of them principally and properly for the be●●fit of the Elect. Sa 〈◊〉 Paul sayth Whatsoeuer things are written aforet●me are written for our learning that we ●om 15. 4. through patience and comfort of the Scrip 〈◊〉 s might haue hope Iohn saith he wrote that wee might beleeue in the name of 1. Ioh 5. ●3 Christ. Therefore his writings properly belong to the children of God And the Apestle writing to the 〈◊〉 ans sayth that Christ gaue some to be Apostles and some Prephets and some ●uangelists and some Pastors and Doctors But to what end For the reparation of the Saints and for the edification of Christs Eph●● 4. ●2 body And this is no small prerogatiue for the Sacraments are signes and seales of Gods grace The preaching of the Gospell is the power of God to saluation to all that doe beleeue In his word hee hath recorded his will And his Ministers are as it were his Trumpeters which do sound in our eares the trumpets of his Law and Gospell and instruct vs when to stand still when to retyre and when and how to march forward They are through his assistance our spirituall Fathers by whom he doth procreate and beget vs vnto himselfe for our good and his owne glory Now all these things profit the Reprobate nothing at all but do indeed through the rebellions corruption of they● hearts harden and stiften them as the Sunne doth clay The Lord hath vnited all his elect and Priui 1● de●re children vnto Christ by his Spirit and by a true and liuely faith And by reason of this vnion they are after a sort vnited to the whole Trinity Father Sonne and holy Ghost Yea hence it is that we are partakers of Christs benefits For as the members of the body haue neither sense nor motion vnlesse they be vnited to the head and as the science or griffe receiueth no nourishment except it be set in the stock and grow vp with it Fuen so vnlesse we be vnited vnto Christ our stock and spirituall head we haue no spirituall life and motion neither are we actually partakers of his benefits But being once vnited and knit vnto him we receiue sense and sap life and motion All the elect and faithfull people of God are partakers of the prayers of all Priuil 12. the Godly throughout the world The children of God haue fellowship one with an other as with Christ their head Whereas on the contrary they pray for the confusion and finall destruction of his and their impenitent pestilent and irreconciliable enemies and can not but hate and abandon those whom they see to walke peruersly in wicked and reprobate courses without remorse of conscience and all shew of repentance For GOD hath put a secret antipathy and mortall en●●y betweene his seed and the seed of the Serpent Therefore Salomon sayth A wicked man is an abomination to the iust and he that is vpright in his Prou. 29 27. way is an abomination to the wicked And as Dauid sayth The wicked practiseth against Psal. 37. 12. the iust and g●a●●●eth his t●●th against him So he also sayth thus of himselfe Psal. 3●● 6. I haue hated them that giue themselues to deceitfull vanities And againe Doe not I hate them O Lord that hate Psa. 139 21. thee I hate them with the perfection of hatred as if they were mine vtter enemies And in the fifteenth Psalme contemning Psal. 15. 4. of a vile person that is of a wicked wretch and the honouring of the Godly is made an infallible note of a faithfull member of the Church By which it appeareth that there is no sincere and solid communion betweene Gods children and the slaues of the Diuell And therefore it is one of our priuiledges and peculiar dignities to inioy the loue and louely communion of the Saints Faith by which we walke and liue Priuil 13. by which we are iustified and adopted without which it is impossible to please GOD this faith which is a supernaturall Heb. 11. 6. Act. 13. 48. T●● 1. 1. gift of God aboue corrupt and created nature this faith I saye is peculiar and proper to the Elect therefore Saint Paul ●alieth it The ●aith of the Elect and teacheth the Thessalonians 〈◊〉 Thes. 3 2. that it is not common to all men Secondly Hope is an excellent gift of God for it maketh not ashamed and by Rom. 5. 5 it the Apostle sayth we are saued that is by

whereupon Priuil 23 if they lay all their prescribed sacrifices they shall be accepted of God as smelling sweetly in his nostrils But the Reprobate and all their sacrifices are odious and abominable in his sight They want our Altar Christ Iesus who should purge and sanctify theyr offerings and by whom they should offer them vnto the Father and therefore their goodly sacrifices are but goodly sinnes God giueth his holy Spirit to his Elect only who in Gods appointed time maketh Priuil 24 his habitation in them who doth also sweep the floores of their spirits with the hand of his grace and the beesome of his word and trimmeth vp the houses of their hearts with the sweet and pleasant flowres of his spirit and adorneth them with the costly tapestry and precious ornaments of his orient and excellent graces He perfumeth them as it were with frankincense and coales of Iuniper He buildeth windowes within them that they may receiue the bright and beawtifull beames and louely light which do shine from the Sun of righteousnes Hee constituteth a kingdome within them hee ruleth them with the strength of his arme and the scepter of his word He stablisheth his throne with iustice and mercy he fostereth the part regenerate he bridleth and tameth the rebell euen the rebellious corruption of the heart and by little and little consumeth it As for the Reprobate their hearts are the dens of the Diuell and the cabins of sinne stincking loathsomly like a dead carryon There is indeed a kingdome within them but the Diuell is the King Sinne is the Queene His Throne is wickednes his Scepter is iniquity his Lawes are the liberty of the flesh his rewards are death and they are his slaues and vassals As the Elect may haue Grace so it is possible for thē to grow in grace therefore Priuil 25. 2. Pet. 3. 18. 1. Pet. 2. 2. Peter exhorteth vs To grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ and sheweth also how we may grow But for the Reprobate as they are void of all true lauing grace so they grow not there in for they can not increase in that which they want A man cannot grow in bignes vnlesse he haue a body A man cā not grow rich vnlesse he haue ●iches They may increase in sin and grow in wickednes as clay doth in hardnes whē the weather is dry or as the riuers do in depth bredth whē the tide commeth Againe whereas the Lord doth very often giue the reines to the Reprobate and suffers them to rush headlong into horrible enormities as the Gadarens Swine did into the Sea hee doth mercifully preserue his owne people and graciously keepeth them oftentimes from declining and falling and whensoeuer they either stumble or fall they may recouer themselues by serious and sound repentance But God hath not vouchsafed the gift of godly sorow and true repentance to the Reprobate It belongs only to Gods Elect. Wee may reade of Dauids repentance of Peters falling and rising of Pauls conuersion but wee neuer read of any true * ●o turne truly is to returne from all sinne vnto God turning that euer any reprobate made If any of them repent it is but for fashion sake or for feare of punishment It is not for loue to God or for the hatred of sinne for sinne or for the consideration of Gods loue vnto them As lead being cast into the water can not but sinke so the Reprobate can not but sinne And as a Mill-stone lying in the bottome of the Sea can not come vp so the Reprobate beeing ouerwhelmed in the bottomlesse pit of iniquitie can not repent Though it were possible to remoue a Mountayne out of his place yet it were more impossible to remoue a Reprobate from his corruptions Hee may mooue but hee will not remooue Hee may turne but hee cannot returne As it is impossible for him to reuiue who is ordained to perpetuall death so it is impossible for him to reuiue from sinne whom the fountaine of all life hath righteously forsaken and deliuered for euer vnto Sathan to hold captiue in the graue of sinne and in the darke and deadly dungeon of iniquity The children of God haue the spirit of prayer and with boldnesse may approach Priuil 26. vnto the throne of his grace and put vp their suites vnto him The King will permit a true subiect to come into his presence and speake vnto him when a rebell or traytour shall finde no such fauour A Kings sonne may speake vnto his father when others are not permitted so to do We are the sonnes of God and the seruants of his sonne therefore we may boldly in the name of our elder brother present our selues before him and put vp our supplications to him and the rather because he knoweth and approoueth vs. For as the Apostle sayth The foundation of God remaineth sure and hath this seale The Lord knoweth who are 2. Tim. 2 19. his But the Reprobate and their prayers are abominable in his sight They want the spirit of prayer and either can not pray at all or not in the right manner Neither can they approach with boldnesse vnto GOD seeing they haue no part in Christ nor Christ in them They cannot pray with cōfidence to be heard seeing they are destitute as well of faith as of the fauour of God GOD accepteth the sincere will and Priuil 27. feruent desires of his faithfull and elect children to beleeue repent and obey for faith repentance obedience For As Psa. 103 13. a father hath compassion on his children so hath the Lord compassion on them that feare him He will spare them as a man Mala. 3. 17. spareth his owne sonne But fathers vse to take in good part their childrens works so they do them with care and diligence though not so perfectly and exactly as indeed were meet In like manner if we will and with an honest heart desire to do well though we do it very weakely God doth notwithstanding take all in good part and regardeth not the imperfection of the worke A desire of grace is one degree of grace and a will to do well is with God accounted doing well Therefore Paul sayth If there be a willing mind it is accepted according to that a man 2. Cor. 8. 12. hath and not according to that he hath not That which he saith of giuing almes is true in the performance of all other duties If there be in a man a ready and willing mind to beleeue repent and obey though he do not these things perfitly or so well as many of his brethren do yet God for the merits and intercession of his Sonne accepteth both of him and his imperfit works and in mercy rewardeth him Dauid besides his dayly infirmities did thrice grieuously offend God and yet he told Salomon that if he 〈◊〉 Chron. 7. 17. would walke before him as Dauid his father he would establish the throne of

sanctifie Any but Those who are cleansed and dead to sinne Redemption washing away and sanctification are partakers together The Application is when as Christ is giuen vnto vs of God the Father by the Spirit in the lawfull vse of the Word and Sacraments and is receiued of vs by the instrument of a true faith And Christ being giuen is made vnto vs of God wisdome righteousnes sanctification and redemption 1. Cor. 1. 30. The accomplishment of the application is Glorification whereby God shal be all in all by Christ in all the elect By this which hath been said it is apparent that the decree of election is the cause and foundation of all good giftes and workes in men From hence is true faith Act. 13. 48. As many as were ordained vnto eternall life beleeued And calling Rom. 8. whom he predestinated them he called And who are called of his purpose Hence Adoption Eph. 1. predestinated to Adoption And sanctification Eph. 1. He hath chosen vs that we should be holie and blamelesse Hence good workes Ephes. 2. Which he hath prepared that we should walke in them And perseuerance Ioh. 6. All that the Father giueth me shall come vnto me and 〈◊〉 6. 37. 39 him that commeth to me I cast not away Againe And this is the Fathers will that of all which he hath giuen me I should lose nothing 2. Tim. 2. 19. The foundation of God remaineth sure and hath this seale the Lord know●te who are his Excellent is that saying of Augustine He did choose no man worthie but by chusing he made him worthie Againe Cont. Iul. Pelag. lib. 5. cap. 3. In Psal. 41. It is the grace of God whereby he doth elect me not because any worthines is in me but because it doth vouchsafe to make me worthie Againe And did not they also afterwa●ds chuse him and preferre him before all the good things of this life but they did chuse him because they were chosen they were not chosen because they chused him And thus much of the decree of election The decree of reprobation is a worke of Gods prouidence whereby he hath decreed to passe by certaine men in regard of supernaturall grace for the manifestation of his iustice and wrath in their due destruction or it is his will whereby he suffreth some man to fall into sinne and inflicteth the punishment of condemnation for sinne It hath in like manner two actes The first is the purpose to forsake some men and to make knowen his iustice in them This act hath a finall cause but no impulsiue cause out of God For it ariseth of Gods meere good pleasure no respect had of good or euill in the creature For the will of God is the cause of causes therfore we must make our stand in it and out of or beyond it no reason must be sought for yea indeed there is nothing beyond it Moreouer euery man as Paul Rom. 9. 21. auerreth is vnto God as a lumpe of clay in the potters hand and therefore God according to his supreme authoritie doth make vessels of wrath he doth not find them made But hee should not make them but find them made if we say that God willed in his eternall counsell to passe by men only as they are sinners and not as they are men for causes most iust though vnknowen to vs. Thirdly if God did reiect men because he foresaw that they would reiect him reprobatiō should not depend vpon God but vpon men themselues And this is all one as if a man should say that God foresaw that some would chuse him and others refuse him And the contempt of the Gospell doth not befall infants which die out of the couenant of the Gospell Fourthly Paul who was a most skilful defender of Gods iustice doth exclude all workes in the first place out of this wonderfull election of one from another made in the counsell of God Not by worke● saith he and therefore excludeth all respect of sinne then Rom. 9. 11. afterwards being rauished with admiration he quieteth himselfe in the alone will of God Who hath resisted his will But O man who art thou which pleadest against Rom. 9. 19. 20. Rom. 11. 33 God Againe O the deepenes of the riches both of the wisedome and knowledge of God how vnsearchable are his iudgments and his waies past finding out To conclude if it be demaunded why God created this world and no more we must haue recourse 〈◊〉 ●he meere will of God and why must we not doe so if it be demaunded why God electeth this man and forsaketh that man or another Author de vec gent. A part of mankinde is redeemed a part perisheth But who can tell why God doth not pity them and pitieth these the reason of the distinction is vnknowen but the distinction or separation it selfe is not knowen The second act is the ordaining of them to punishment or due destruction This ordination in respect of the diuerse consideration thereof may be distinguished and so it is either simple or comparatiue The simple ordination is that wherby this man suppose Peter or Iohn is ordained to punishment And this ordination is of the most iust will of God yet not without respect of originall and actuall sinnes For as men are actually damned for sin so God hath decreed to damne them for the same sinne Yet notwithstanding sin is not the cause of the decree of reprobation but in regard of order it goeth before in Gods fore-knowledge not that former but this latter act The ordination which stands in comparison is that whereby one man and not another and this man rather then that being in the like condition is ordeined to punishment This serueth to shew the libertie of Gods will in the dispensation of supernaturall benefits For in that God chuseth this man and not that it declareth the libertie and very great perfection of God and therefore vnder the name of an housholder he challengeth the same vnto himselfe when he saith May I not do● Ma● 20. 15. with my own what I list And verely though God destroy and condemne all those whom he doth forsake yet should he not be iniust For we our selues in the daily killing and slaughtering of beasts will not be counted vniust neither indeed are we and yet in comparison of God we are not so much worth as a flie is in respect of vs. If it be lawfull for thee to receine in or to thrust out any out of thine house because thou wilt it were a point of desperate boldnes to take the same right from God in his house The cause of this comparatiue ordination is the sole wil of God yea euen without respect of any sinne at all So Augustine God deliuereth no man but of his free mercy and condemneth no man but m●st righteously Now why he deliuereth this man rather then that let him search who can diue into the great depth of his iudgements Againe why is